


The Prince Next Door

by afteriwake



Series: Summer Under The Stars - May / June / July / August 2017 [12]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Different First Meeting, Alternate Universe - Neighbors, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Amanda Grayson Lives, Awesome Amanda Grayson, Barkeeper Bones, Bars and Pubs, Bartender Nyota Uhura, Best Friends, College Student James T. Kirk, Developing James T. Kirk/Spock, Epic Friendship, First Aid, First Kiss, First Meetings, Friendship, Kirk Is A Civilian, Kirk Saves The Day, M/M, Male Friendship, Male-Female Friendship, Maternal Figure, Minor Christine Chapel/Nyota Uhura, Secret Crush, Spock Is A Prince, Spock's Hiding Out, Starfleet Academy, Studying, Teasing, mother knows best
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-06
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2018-09-07 00:37:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8776216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/afteriwake/pseuds/afteriwake
Summary: There's something about the Vulcan who lives in apartment 2B, something Jim doesn't find out until the Vulcan is attacked: he's Prince S’chn T’gai, trying to hide from the planetary troubles on his home planet. But the man, who tells him to call him Spock, ends up becoming more important to him and in his world than he ever realized.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [GreenSkyOverMe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreenSkyOverMe/gifts).



> So this was [originally an idea](http://penaltywaltz.tumblr.com/post/152713741578/oh-god-royal-aus) from **underworldwrites** on Tumblr (" _my country’s going through some issues so i’m here in hiding and you’re a civilian who lives in the same apartment complex as me_ " au) that **GreenSkyOverMe** had asked to alter slightly (" _Replace country with planet and the prince is Spock. Prince Spock becomes friends with Jim Kirk. Spock eventually decides to join Star Fleet just like Jim. Sarek is against it._ ") and I finally got to start it today. So this is a slightly altered ST: AOS universe in that Starfleet is still around but the trio meets differently and they're all in a bit of different positions.

There was something...different...about the guy in 2B.

Not just that he was a Vulcan. Vulcans were kind of rare on Earth, but Jim had met a few. Apparently, there was some turmoil on their home planet, a conflict with a race known as the Romulans, and a few had escaped to Earth and were integrating themselves in Earth society. So it wasn’t that he was a Vulcan. Not entirely. He could get used to the inherent... _weirdness_ , he guessed was the best way to describe some of the stuff the guy did.

No, it was something else. Something that was just...different. Whether he was Vulcan or human or whatever, it was the kind of thing that would stick out like a sore thumb. He was different in a way that would be different for anyone, regardless of race. Something that smacked of...superiority, maybe? Of privilege?

If he had to guess, he’d have guessed that the guy in 2B wasn’t just any Vulcan. He was an _important_ Vulcan.

But maybe he was just letting his mind get away from him. That was what his uncle would say. James Tiberius Kirk, getting caught up in a flight of fancy, head in the clouds. It was the whole reason the minute he’d been old enough, he’d gotten on his bike and taken the hell off from Iowa and headed straight for San Francisco. It wasn’t like he had gotten the chance to actually _finish_ his education, not with the ball buster making him miss class to run the “family business,” basically meaning his uncle sat on his ass while he did all the work.

He knew his family didn’t think all that highly of him, but he was better than their expectations. He knew it deep down and he made it a point to prove it, whether they ever saw it or not. And he was doing good here, far away and on his own. He was pulling good grades at the college he was going to, better than his teachers in Iowa had ever considered him capable of. The books he’d borrowed from the library and read under the covers at night when his uncle didn’t notice had been worth something after all. He’d already gotten his GED and he’d have his bachelor’s degree in a matter of months, and then?

Starfleet.

He’d show each and every person who doubted he’d make something of himself. He’d prove all of them wrong.

The thud from 2B jarred him out of his thoughts. It was followed by the sound of breaking glass, and he was up and out of his chair in a heartbeat. Another thing he was was impulsive, and if the weird Vulcan next door needed his help, damn it, he’d give it. He threw his door open, sprinted the few steps over to the door to 2B, which was ajar, and peered inside. He could see the Vulcan in a chair, another man standing over him, blood leaking from the corner of his mouth. “Hey, asshole!” Jim called out, pushing the door open and rushing at the man standing over the Vulcan. He had the element of surprise and pulled his arm back, smashing his fist across the man’s face.

He didn’t count on the second man in the room, though.

The first man went down like a light as a lamp went across his shoulder blade and the side of his head. It hurt like hell and he stumbled, but that seemed to give the Vulcan enough time to get up from his seat and move past him to the second man. He did some sort of fancy move with his hand to the second man’s neck and he, too, went down like a light. Then he turned to Jim. “Come,” he said. “We must call to have them removed, and I must inform my security detail they were lax in their duties. My father will not be pleased.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jim said, moving his hand to his neck. It felt sticky, and when he pulled it away, he saw red blood. “Great.”

The Vulcan came over and inspected the wound. “You need to have the wound treated. Do you have a medical kit?”

“A basic one,” Jim said.

“We will go to your domicile and I will tend to your wound,” he said. “Do you need support?”

Jim shook his head. “I’ve been hurt worse breaking up bar fights.” The Vulcan raised an eyebrow. “My job. I’m a bouncer at a bar.” He nodded towards the door. “I’d kind of like to keep this shirt free of blood.”

“Of course,” the Vulcan said. They began to head to Jim’s apartment. “Thank you for the rescue attempt. I admit, I overestimated my odds of overcoming my opponents, since my security detail was nowhere to be found.”

“Maybe they were scarce on purpose,” Jim said.

The Vulcan tilted his head. “Perhaps. That is something I had not considered. They may be loyal to my father’s enemies. There are traitors to his house.”

Jim gave him a confused look and stopped in his tracks. “Who are you?” he asked.

The Vulcan nodded toward Kirk’s apartment. “When we are in the privacy of your apartment, I shall properly introduce myself.” Jim shrugged slightly and kept walking. His door was still open, and the two of them walked in and the Vulcan shut the door behind him. After a moment of silence, he spoke. “I am Prince S’chn T’gai. My father is the ruler of the planet Vulcan. I have been sent here for my safety during the conflict with the Romulans. You may simply call me...Spock.”

Jim looked at him a moment, then moved to one of the stools at his kitchen counter and reached for the bottle of whiskey there, pouring himself a shot from the collection of shot glasses his friend Bones had given him. “Well, while you clean me up and tell me the whole story, I’m going to have a drink, because I think I’m going to need it.”

“Fair enough.”


	2. Chapter 2

In the end, Jim sat on a stool with his shirt off. The new temporary occupant of his apartment had helped him get it off and miraculously there wasn’t a speck of blood on it. He knew Bones would be pleased; he wasn’t supposed to wear the shirts he wore to the bar when he wasn’t _actually_ at the bar but with as tired as he was and so few hours in the day, he tended to fall asleep in them more often than not. Keeping it blood free might earn him a brownie point or two, maybe.

Spock was tending to the wound on his neck, cleaning it with disinfectant. He doubted it was deep enough to need stitches but if it was, off to Bones’s they’d go. Hell, they may head there anyway, depending on what the story was. Bones occasionally needed to keep people on the down low, and he had the feeling that having a Vulcan prince around whose planet was in the middle of some serious drama...yeah, they may need his help.

That brownie point was already wavering away in front of his eyes. Here one minute, gone the next. Typical of those mythical brownie points he liked to get from his boss. But there was no way he’d leave Spock to deal with all this on his own. And he’d strong arm Bones into helping if needed. Bones may be smart but he was stronger.

He hoped.

“I am, unlike most of my kind, half-human,” Spock said, his voice having a small tinge of emotion that Jim couldn’t quite place. Not quite disgust, at least not at what he was, but perhaps disgust at something. Maybe a bit of sadness too? He wasn’t sure, but there wasn’t time to figure it out before Spock continued. “My father went against my grandfather’s wishes and broke his royal engagement to bewed a human, my mother Amanda. It was a scandal on the planet and led to his expulsion from the royal family. He was content to live here on Earth with the both of us until word reached us that there had been an attempted coup by Romulan ambassadors. We were not sure of what was truth or fiction, but my father returned to Vulcan to lead the resistance. My mother and I were hidden in different locations here on Earth for our own safety and given different names to go by.”

“Do you talk to her?” Jim asked.

“No,” Spock said. “It is not safe. I know of her location, and when it is changed I was informed by her handler. But with this attempt on my life, I believe it is best if we are reunited. I can protect myself, but she is much more vulnerable. I have some of the hardiness and skills of Vulcans. As a human, she has...I believe she calls them street smarts? But she is not as hardy as I, or as skilled in protecting herself.”

Jim scoffed, feeling that if his mom had married a Vulcan and was willingly hiding for her safety she was probably a lot tougher than her son gave her credit for, and in response Spock dabbed the disinfectant into the wound harder, making the scoffing sound turn into a hiss of pain. Apparently, the fact Spock was half-human meant he had _some_ emotional reactions, whether he realized it or not. Jim reached up and pushed his hand away, fanning the cut. “Feel free to put a bandage on any time now,” he said.

“My apologies,” Spock said. “I am not used to being defeated in combat.”

“Yeah, well, everyone can use a helping hand sometimes,” Jim said, hunching over and hanging his head down. “I’m just surprised you trust me.”

“I have studied you,” Spock said. “I have had much time on my hands so I studied everyone in this complex. You seem to be the most genuinely helpful and forthright person here. If there was anyone I could have trusted with my secret and well-being, it would have been you.” He moved back to the kit and then moments later Jim felt the bandaging gel on his neck. He knew it would harden in seconds and then he could get dressed again.

“Do you trust my judgment?” Jim asked him as soon as he could move his head again, reaching on the counter for the clean shirt he’d brought out of his bedroom to change into.

“I believe I can,” Spock said.

“I have a place we can both hide out,” Jim said. “My boss...well, kind of boss, more like a friend who abuses my need for money and ability to cool hot heads and then knock them together when that doesn’t work...he’s hidden people out before. He’d have room for your mom, too, and it’s not a bad place. You just have to let him know up front you’re not playing any games. He hates that shit.”

Spock nodded slowly. “I am truthful in everything I have said. I am telling you no falsehoods.”

“Then he should be fine with you.” Jim pulled the shirt over his head. “Let’s grab some stuff from your place, then let me get some stuff from here and head out. He’s probably not going to be happy to hear I got myself caught up in interplanetary intrigue and I may get hit upside the head for it, so I’d rather get it over with sooner than later.”

Spock nodded again and then made his way to the door. Jim followed, glancing around his apartment. He wasn’t sure if he’d see it again, or at least in the same condition, but Spock needed help, and he wasn’t the type to leave somebody in need helpless. If he could help, he’d help. That’s just who he was...no matter what it cost him.


	3. Chapter 3

Bones’s bar was a hole in the wall type place, the type that never had any advertising but was always full of people. It reminded him of that old Earth bar in the sitcom, the one that Ted Danson was in. It had its normal crowd of regulars, a few people who wandered in by accident, and then people who heard about the place from word of mouth. That was really the only way most people heard about the place; since there were no flashy signs advertising it outside and there were no neon-lit signs in the windows for the different brands of beers or liquor his place served, most people didn't even realize it _was_ a bar. Add to it the fact the bouncers sat inside the door so you actually had to step inside to have your identification checked and for all someone knew it was a place that smelled like great food at almost all hours of the day.

It was just the way Bones liked it: low-key, low trouble, low hassle.

So Jim _knew_ he was going to get an earful for bringing the half-human/half-Vulcan prince who was on the run from assassins to the bar to be kept safe and hidden and then bring his human mom along too for good measure. But there really wasn’t any other option; the complex wasn’t a safe place for Spock now and since he knew the truth he felt obligated to help. And Bones was the only person _he_ knew who could do anything. He was going to catch hell, but Bones was a doctor once upon a time so if there was anyone who would feel just as strongly about keeping people safe and...well, _alive_ , it would be Bones.

They’d gathered up what they needed most, which for Spock had been surprisingly little, and gotten a cab to the bar. Kirk had the feeling leaving his bike at the complex meant he probably wouldn’t see it again, but he supposed it was a sacrifice he was willing to make. He could get another one later, rebuild one, something like that. It wasn’t as though it was his dad’s bike; that was still in Iowa under the custody of his uncle. He’d rather have that but...hell, he’d left everything behind to make it on his own. He was just going to have to deal with never having that, never having real links to his past.

It seemed to take longer getting to the bar in a cab than it did on his bike, and when they got there Kirk motioned for Spock to go towards the alley entrance instead of the main entrance. They made their way there with Kirk looking every once in a while to make sure no cars had followed the cab or no people had taken an interest in the two of them that they shouldn’t. He had to do it while remaining inconspicuous, but apparently, they hadn’t been followed, so he allowed himself to relax just a little.

“Are we not permitted to use the main entrance?” Spock asked curiously.

“Around this time of day, Bones is making some hellish combination of southern food for his breakfast in his apartment. The people in the bar are the regulars who want to get shitfaced before noon. Bones won’t be tending bar to them. Nyota will be there because the regulars want the pretty face first thing in the morning.” Kirk nodded his head towards a set of stairs. “We go up the stairs, that’s where the living space is. There are four bedrooms, but Bones usually rents out three of them. Not that he needs to. He makes a pretty decent amount of money with the bar, even if it’s just a hole in the wall. The regulars pay a ton of money for peace and quiet and no hassle.”

“And you help provide that service?” Spock asked as they made their way to the stairs on the side of the building.

Kirk nodded. “I’ve had my share of arguments to break up, but I usually get out of most of them without blood being shed. At least inside the bar. Outside...that’s a different matter.” He got to the base of the stairs and then climbed them two at a time, almost bounding up them. When he got to the top he knocked on the door hard. “Bones! Need some rooms from you!”

It took a few minutes but by the time Spock joined him the door had swung open and a man in a blue button-down shirt with dark hair and a glare on his face was staring at them both. “Jesus, Jim, I’m going to burn my grits.”

“Look, I’ve got a situation,” Jim said.

Bones rolled his eyes. “Find out the last girl you slept with had a boyfriend?” he asked.

“Think interplanetary,” Jim said, pointing to Spock. “Meet my next door neighbor, the hidden prince of Vulcan.”

Bones looked from Jim to Spock and then sighed. “Shit.”

“Exactly. He was attacked because his guards turned on him, so he needs to hide somewhere else, and--”

“Hold it,” Bones said, holding up a hand. “You got yourself involved in an interplanetary dispute? Good God, Jim, can’t you get into _normal_ trouble like a _normal_ person?”

“You know me, Bones,” Jim said with a smirk. “Go big or go home.”

“Go home is right,” Bones muttered. “I should boot you both on a transport back to Iowa.” Then he shook his head and moved out of the way. “I am going to regret this, but come on in.”

“Thanks, Bones,” Jim said, clapping his friend on the shoulder. “Oh, and one more favor?”

“What, hide the King, too?” he asked in a sarcastic tone.

“Close. Queen,” Jim said.

“Of course,” Bones said. He looked up at the ceiling and shook his head. “Jim, if this all goes to Hell, I am personally taking it out of your hide. Got it?”

“Got it,” Jim said. He turned to Spock. “Let’s go grab rooms and then let’s figure out if your mom is okay and how to get her here.”

Spock nodded. “Very well.” He turned to Bones and nodded his head towards him. “You have my deepest thanks.” Bones grunted and shut the door behind them, heading back to the kitchen. Spock then turned to Jim, looking confused. “Have I offended him?”

“He’s just an old grump. I mean, not _that_ old, but just...extra grumpy,” Jim said. “You get used to it.” He nodded towards the rooms. “Come on. We have plans to make.”


	4. Chapter 4

Bones left them to their own devices in figuring out which room was going to who. Jim thought Spock would take the largest of the three open rooms but he suggested that be his mother’s room when she joined them. He couldn’t really argue with that. He did insist Spock take the second largest room. Not that there was much difference, but it was next to the room his mother would take and he felt Spock would appreciate that.

Once their things were stowed away they went to the kitchen to join Bones. There were two plates laid out with food for them. One had all the fixings of a normal Bones breakfast, the other had grits and a bowl of strawberries next to it. Jim gave Bones a strange look and Bones shrugged. “Most Vulcans are vegetarians. Grits are made with hominy and water with a little butter, usually. I don’t have all that much vegetarian fare on hand but he can have the last of the strawberries.”

“Thank you,” Spock said. He took a spoonful of the grits and chewed it for a moment before swallowing. “This is most satisfactory.”

“It tastes better with cheese but I didn’t know how strict a vegetarian you might be,” Bones said.

“I am not as strict as most Vulcans, as I am half-human,” Spock said. “I will eat meat substitutes and dairy products.”

“I’ll keep that in mind,” Bones said with a nod. “I know Knucklehead here goes through a gallon of milk every couple of days. So share, Jim.”

Jim rolled his eyes and began digging into his food. “Hey, I pay you back.”

“With low-fat crap instead of whole milk,” Bones grumbled. “Health consciousness should not extend to milk.”

“You used to be a doctor,” Jim said. “Shouldn’t you be pushing that?”

“Hey, fat people aren’t necessarily unhealthy,” Bones said. “And skinny people aren’t necessarily healthy. Why do you think I was a _popular_ doctor? I didn’t buy into that skinny fad shit from hundreds of years ago.”

Spock looked at Bones. “Is that how you knew of my dietary preferences?”

Boned nodded towards the outside of his window. “With the Starfleet Academy so close, it helped to learn as much as I could about alien species. I would help out at the Academy clinic sometimes when they didn’t have enough doctors in their program. You get people who want to travel the stars and all, but getting doctors away from cushy assignments to keep those idiots safe while they’re in space? Easier said than done. No doctor in their right mind wants to be subjected to a million space diseases when they can have a nice place on Earth.”

“But you’re damn good at it,” Jim said.

“Damn good,” Bones said, nodding slowly. “I just got tired of the pro-human contingent. When the hospital I was working at wanted me to stop working at the clinic and stop treating aliens, I gave up. What’s the point of exploring the damn universe if you think humans should be the only ones treated on Earth? It’s stupid. Those crazies are going to cause serious problems one day.” He paused. “I could have gone into the Academy as a student, maybe even taught there for all I know, but I just decided hell with it, it’s time to get out.”

“I did not realize there was a contingent of this community that was anti-alien,” Spock said.

“You’re human passing. You’d probably be fine if you weren’t a freaking hidden prince. I mean, cover up your ears, who can really tell?” Bones said. “Which reminds me. What are you two planning to do? Hide out here for a while with the Queen? Then go back to Vulcan and...what, exactly?”

Spock shook his head. “Rightfully my father should lead the people of Vulcan, as he is next in line for succession. I think he wants to abolish the aristocracy and replace it with a democratic system, but I am not privy to his plans.”

“Typical father,” Bones said in a huff. “You’re the prince, whether your people like it or not. At least _you_ should know whatever the hell he’s planning.”

“When is the last time you spoke to him?” Jim asked, interrupting Bones' tirade.

“When I arrived in San Francisco,” Spock said. “Our conversations were brief, however, and mostly concerned my mother.”

“Does your dad not like you or something?” Jim asked.

“Jesus, Jim,” Bones said, rolling his eyes and shaking his head. “Don’t ask questions like that.”

“Well, it’s a pertinent question,” Jim said.

“He is not fond of me as I have had...ideas...he does not agree with,” Spock said slowly. “While he loves a human woman, he does not seem to know how to love a half-human son.” He went back to his food. “Though if his plan is to change the political ruling nature of Vulcan to a democracy, that is not something I oppose. I have no interest in politics.”

“What are you interested in?” Bones asked.

“Science,” Spock replied. “It has been a passion for many years, to use human terminology.”

“Is that why you’re here in San Francisco?” Jim asked before having more of his food. “To be near Starfleet Academy?”

“My father would never let me enter,” Spock said. “Though he has different opinions on Vulcan society than most, he would not be so lenient to let me do anything other than entering university-level classes on Vulcan. Therefore, my education will be postponed until the matter is settled.”

Jim opened his mouth to reply but Bones glared and he shut it. He wondered what would happen if the matter was never settled and the planet was stuck in an ongoing civil war because it seemed like bullshit that Spock couldn’t go to a university somewhere, and Starfleet was the best option. That’s what he was trying for, at any rate. His ultimate goal was to get up into space and explore. Maybe even captain his own ship someday. It wasn’t fair that Spock couldn’t have his dreams too.

Maybe he’d figure out a way they could both be happy and keep his identity secret...


	5. Chapter 5

Jim let Spock deal with finding out where his mom was and making sure she was still safe. He had other things to worry about. If he was going to get into Starfleet Academy he couldn’t let this whole mess deter him from his studies. After all, there was no way he could tell his teachers that he was helping to hide the prince of Vulcan and needed to miss class. They’d buy the Golden Gate Bridge before they bought that excuse.

He was sitting on his bed with his textbooks and notebooks spread out around him when he heard the knock on the door. He had never cared where he studied as long as he had space to spread things out, some coffee and his Beastie Boys playlist on repeat. He’d decided not to wear the headphones so he looked up and turned down the music when he saw who was standing there. “What’s up?”

“My mother is safe, but now wary,” he said. “She wishes to be reunited with me at your earliest personal convenience.”

“Where is she?” Jim asked.

“San Diego,” he replied. “She has ways of evading her security detail so she can take the train to Los Angeles without being followed. From there, she is unsure of how to reach us.”

Jim frowned. The train, while it was fast, wasn’t exactly safe to be on alone. And if his mom had evaded security before, they might think to look for her on it. He had no idea if her detail was larger than Spock’s had been or not. Finally, he shook his head. “I have a friend with better transport. Well...not a friend, but one of Bones’s favorite patrons. He owes me a favor.” Jim got off the bed and then went to his clothes, rummaging around for the beanie her wore when he was at work and it was cold. He found it and tossed it to Spock. “But that on. The fewer questions asked about you, the better.”

Spock nodded and put the beanie on, carefully covering up the tips of his pointed ears. Bones was right with what he’d said earlier; with the hat on, it was very hard to tell Spock was anything other than human. Jim nodded in approval; it was cool enough that wearing a beanie wouldn’t look out of place, and the casualish clothing Spock wore would fit in fine downstairs. He headed to the doorway and pushed past Spock, who followed, and then he led him back to the door and down the stairs. They went through the alley to the street and then Jim turned left to head into the bar.

Bones had decorated it in a manner that could only be described as “Southern shipwreck.” There was a more or less nautical theme interspersed by an old-timey country bar theme. The music was usually classic rock or country, depending on who got control of the antique jukebox he had reprogrammed to work without needing money. Most of the arguments he broke up were disputes over the jukebox, he’d noticed, from assholes who felt they had to commandeer it and be jerks about it. It was really rare to find a place where music was the biggest cause of fights, and that was why Jim thought the bar had some sort of unspoken blessing cast over it.

Jim waved over to Nyota, who was behind the bar. She didn’t quite match the décor, usually wearing brightly colored maxi dresses with a very African theme or something resembling cowgirl chic, minus the hat. Today she was in a mix of both, with a flared out black cowgirl skirt, cowboy boots, and a patterned halter top. He had no idea how she never got _cold_ and she wouldn’t share her secrets. “Is Scotty here?” he asked.

She nodded towards the restrooms. “Using the facilities,” she said, Then she smiled to Spock. “A new regular?”

“Sort of,” Jim said. “We’re camping out upstairs.”

“So...a _boyfriend_ ,” she said with a smirk.

“Separate rooms,” he said, stressing each word. She snorted and he shook his head. She was in a committed relationship with one of the nursing staff at the Academy, Christine Chapel, so she’d never raised an eye at his supposed string of partners but enjoyed poking fun at him for his varied taste. He never minded because frankly, she was probably his other best friend other than Bones. She pulled the morning shift usually, but she and Christine would come around in the evening and occasionally slip in a Beastie Boys song to get him through the night when they got to pick some music. Bones usually roped both of them into helping, but the tips were good even split with two extra people so he never cared.

“I am not his t'hy'la,” Spock said.

Nyota’s eyes widened. “Vulcan, huh? Interesting.”

Jim had forgotten Nyota was a linguistics nut. He leaned in and spoke in a low volume. “Keep that on the down low, okay? We’re bunking with Bones because there’s _trouble_.”

Her eyes widened but she nodded. She turned back to Spock. “We have non-alcoholic drinks if there’s anything you want while Jim does what he needs to do.”

Spock nodded and sat at the bar as a movement from the restrooms area caught Jim’s eye. “Thank you,” he replied.

“Sit tight here while I talk to Scotty,” Jim said to Spock. “Nyota will take good care of you.” He clapped a hand on Spock’s shoulder and then moved away, looking for the older man who had that weird alien friend who always came with him. Scotty was a tinkerer, just like him, except instead of working on antiques and bikes like he did Scotty worked on ships. He never drank in the morning but he came to the bar for the breakfast food that was made. They had a good cook on staff, Hikaru Sulu, and his assistant Pavel Chekov usually kept the energy of the place up as he served the meals. They came up with some amazing foods, usually vegetarian fare, and that was a draw for the bar too.

Scotty was just sitting down to the Full English, the only real meaty breakfast meal they had, even though it had its vegetarian touches. Or at least most of them did; Scotty was well-liked enough that he got the real deal. His meat was actually meat and not tofu. He looked up as Jim approached and grinned. “Bit early for your shift?”

Jim shook his head. “I need to ask a favor. Do you have a shuttle I can borrow that will get me and a friend to San Diego but bring three people back?”

Scotty nodded. “Aye, I do. Want to tell me why you need it?”

“I prefer not to,” Jim said.

“One of _those_ situations,” Scotty said knowingly. “How soon do ya need it?”

“Tonight,” Jim said. “Tomorrow at the latest. Kind of an emergency.”

“You can get it as soon as I’m done with the food if you want,” Scotty said. “I take it you’re getting someone out of danger?” Jim nodded. “Just be careful your big heart doesn’t get you knocked upside the head, okay? I only trust _you_ to fly it.”

Jim grinned. “You’re a godsend.” He left Scotty to his breakfast and went back to the bar, seeing the seat next to Spock empty and a bottle of non-alcoholic ginger beer waiting for him. Nyota always knew what he liked. He picked up the bottle and took a sip. “We can go as soon as Scotty’s done eating,” he said when he was done.

Spock nodded. “I will inform my mother of our plans. Are we going to Los Angeles?”

Jim shook his head. “San Diego. I want to go pick her up personally and make sure she’s okay.”

“Thank you,” Spock said, turning to his drink and the conversation he’d been having with Nyota. Jim took another sip of his drink, hoping that he wasn’t getting in over his head...or he wasn’t there already.


	6. Chapter 6

There had been a slight change in plans, in that Scotty had decided to go with them. With the trouble they encountered in San Diego, it had been good to have a scrapper as a back-up. But they managed to get Amanda Grayson away from San Diego before she had become a victim of the same faction who had gone after Spock earlier in the day.

If there had been any doubt that the security details had been part of the opposing team, there wasn’t any now.

When they got back to Bones' place, Amanda was already looking over her son and the two men, fussing over their injuries. Jim had called ahead so he wasn’t surprised to see Christine and Nyota upstairs waiting with the first aid kit from the bar. “We get both of ya?” Scotty said with a smile before wincing and rubbing the back of his neck.

“Were you stupid enough to get hit on the back of the head?” Christine said while rolling her eyes. “You. You’re mine.”

“Yes, Nurse,” Scotty said, and Jim cracked a grin and shook his head as Scotty walked over to the stool and sat down next to Christine.

“So how banged up are you and His Highness?” Bones asked.

“I might require stitches,” Spock said. “And I am not ‘Your Highness.’ I am not in line for the throne. I am considered a bastardization.”

“That’s why my husband went back to Vulcan on his own,” Amanda said. “My husband is the last of the line, aside from a child he had out of wedlock before he met me, Sybok. But he’s just...insane.”

“So that’s why your father wanted to make for a democratic government?” Jim asked Spock.

Spock nodded. “Anything to keep Sybok off the throne, even if it means discarding the both of us.”

Bones shook his head. “Normally I say any father who abandons his wife and kid is an asshole but...damn. This is just a really shitty situation for all of you, isn’t it?”

“That about sums it up,” Amanda said with a nod. “He may need to form political alliances at our expense, but I doubt he expected us to be killed. At least that was what I got from the brief message I sent to him after talking to my son.”

Nyota looked up from handing things to Christine and smiled. “You’re safe here. We’ll make sure of it.”

“Thank you,” Amanda said with a grateful smile.

“Get over here so I can do those stitches,” Bones said to Spock. As Spock moved to the chair he nodded to Jim. “Show her to her room.”

“Yes, sir,” Jim said with a grin before turning to Amanda. “Shall we?”

Amanda gave him a smile and nodded, and the two of them walked towards the large room in the back. “Thank you, James, for saving my son,” she said as they walked.

“Least I could do,” Jim said. “And call me Jim, please.”

“Then call me Amanda.” They got to the door and Jim opened it, and she smiled. Bones had obviously talked to Christine and Nyota before they got back and there were feminine accouterments that were not usually around Bones' place. “This will be nice.”

“Not too small?” Jim asked.

Amanda shook her head. “No, not too small. The last apartment I was at, my security detail took the master and my bedroom was nearly as big as a closet.” Her smile turned sad. “They weren’t overly fond of me, I could tell, but my husband thought we could trust them.”

“Well, you can trust us,” Jim said.

“My son has a good sense of people, surprisingly,” she said. “If he trusts you, I need no further explanation. I’ll trust you too.” She leaned forward, then, and gave Jim a hug. “Go get your bumps and bruises taken care of. I’m just going to take a nap, and with all of you here, I think I’ll be safe enough.”

It was a different type of hug than he got from Nyota or Christine or the kind from his paramours. There was definitely a motherly sense to this hug, and he hadn’t felt that in so long. But keeping it overly long would be weird, so he reluctantly let go. “Get some rest. I’ll take care of Spock.”

There was a twinkle in Amanda’s eyes when she looked at him. “I’m sure you will.” She turned and went into the room then, leaving Jim to wonder what exactly she meant by that.


	7. Chapter 7

After getting patched up Jim went back to the room he was using and went back to studying. He wasn’t about to let a knock on the noggin keep him from finishing his homework. This degree was pretty close, and he couldn’t get into the program for those who wanted to be Starfleet Captains without the Bachelor’s Degree. Sometimes he wondered why this particular old tradition had carried over after everything, but if it gave him the chance to prove people from home wrong, so be it.

There was a knock on the door and he realized two hours had passed. He looked up to see Bones standing there. “Christine is going to keep your bike for a while. Maybe forever,” he said, crossing his arm and leaning against the doorjamb.

“Tell her if she pays me enough for it she can have it,” Jim said with a grin, setting his tablet aside. 

“I’ll let you two negotiate the price,” he said. He paused after that for a moment. “Jim, do you think you’re in over your head here?” I mean, you have Vulcan royalty here, even if their world doesn’t consider them to be. There are people trying to kill them both. I just...how do you know they’ll be safe here? You aren’t going to go home, his place sounds like it got wrecked...”

“I figure if I stick close I can be like a bodyguard or something,” Jim said with a shrug. “It’s just not fair. They deserve better.”

“Yeah, they do,” Bones said, and then he sighed. “If you don’t mind sharing a room with the Prince, I can give this room to Nyota and Christine. There will always be someone here while the bar’s running and you’re in class.”

Jim nodded. “I’ll grab the floor.”

“Not share the bed?” Bones asked, raising an eyebrow.

Jim rolled his eyes. “Do you really think I’ll fuck anything that moves? I have _Standards_ , Bones. With a capital S.”

“Like a Vulcan prince wouldn’t go above and beyond your Standards with the capital S,” Bones scoffed.

“Go. Away. Bones,” Jim said, enunciating each word. Bones grinned at him and managed to flip him off before he pulled away and walked back down the hall.

Jim looked at his tablet and then tossed it on the bed. So Bones had hit a sore spot. So what? It wasn't that Spock wasn’t _attractive_ and all. Just like Spock had studied him, he’d studied Spock, after all. He couldn’t figure out the guy’s sexuality, but he was enthralled by the various things he saw when they were in the common quarters of the complex. The way his cheeks tinged green when someone paid him a compliment. The way he usually sat on top of the washing machine when he did laundry with a book in his lap. The way he would look him in the eye, unlike the rest of their neighbors.

He felt an uncomfortable tightness in his already tight pants and sighed. Yeah, okay, he was attracted. But A? He wasn’t going to make a move unless it was going to be reciprocated. B? Spock was friggin _royalty_. 

_And C is that his mom is going to be next door and dude, I haven’t had sex with someone’s mom in the same place since I was seventeen,_ he thought to himself before tossing his head back down onto his pillow. So yeah. Even if he _liked_ Spock and all, like hell he was going to do anything about it.

After a moment he placed the pillow over his head and yelled into it. He had the sinking feeling this was all going to bite him in the ass but to be honest, there was no other way of going about things. He was the type of guy who wanted everyone to be okay, to be safe. It was part of the reason he was a bouncer. And if he was going to be honest, the only way to keep Spock and his mom safe was to hide out at Bones’s place and ignore any more attempts for Spock’s dad to send security details. He was fairly sure between the four of them, and Spock too, they could keep Amanda safe. And Spock? He could do a pretty good job taking care of himself, but it wouldn’t hurt to stick close.

 _How_ close, though…

“Are you alright, Jim?”

He lifted the pillow off his head and turned to look at Spock, standing in his doorway. “Yeah. Just...tough problem.”

“If I might ask, what is the subject?”

“Physics.” He gave Spock a lopsided grin which he hoped hid the real reason he was frustrated and gestured to the tablet. “I get it, but I don’t _get_ it. I’m better with stuff like astronomy and linguistics and stuff.”

“How many courses do you take?” Spock asked, stepping inside the room.

“Full course load, plus an extra six units. It usually takes four years to get a bachelor’s degree. I’m trying to do it in three so I can get into the Academy.”

Spock nodded and picked up the tablet, studying the physics problem. “Perhaps I can help, as a partial repayment for all you have done for myself and my mother.”

“I’d appreciate that,” Jim said, and he meant it. Physics really wasn’t his best subject, even though he understood the basics. Spock sat next to him and began explaining the solution, and for a moment he forgot that they were close. Spock was speaking using the same terminology his professor did, but he was just explaining it...better. Lightbulbs were going off in his head as he _finally_ began to understand the concept. And then Spock went further, setting the tablet on his lap and going more in depth, and Jim was enthralled.

It took a few seconds for him to realize eventually Spock had stopped talking and was looking at him, their lips only inches apart. “Do you understand the theory now?” Spock asked.

“Um...yeah. Yeah, I get it. Thank you,” Jim said. He licked his lips. “You’re a big help.”

“Thank you,” Spock said. “It is enjoyable to put that knowledge to use.”

“Maybe...you could teach me more?” Jim asked, rubbing the back of his neck. “I have problems with this concept too.” He reached over to get the tablet and picked it up, brushing his hand against Spock’s thigh. When he looked up, Spock’s cheeks had the strange greenish-pink tinge that he’d had seen when people complimented him at the complex. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you.”

“It is my fault,” Spock said, mumbling slightly.

“No, it’s mi--” He was cut off by Spock leaning forward and pressing his lips to Jim’s, and after a moment of surprise Jim kissed him back. It wasn’t a very passionate kiss, just a simple pressing of lips against lips that seemed tentative at first and then a bit more adventurous as Jim opened his mouth and sighed, and he felt the tip of Spock’s tongue on his lower lip.

And then he pulled away. “I--”

Jim shook his head. “No. It was nice.” He watched Spock relax. “So...you like humans?”

Spock recognized it as an attempt to lighten the situation, and there was a small smile on his face. “Just one.”

Jim moved closer and then picked up the tablet. “Good thing I think you’re going to end up sharing a room with him,” Jim said. “So...want to help me pass this class?”

“It would be my pleasure,” Spock said, moving closer to Jim. He wasn’t sure what all this meant, but perhaps it would be something good, which was something they both needed right now.


End file.
